Endividamento: buscando as motivações comportamentais e os impactos na saúde

Abstract

Considering the aspects inherent in the behavior of the individual, established in the literature as important to explain a greater or less propensity to indebtedness and the consequences that a debt situation may incur, besides the financial, the present study had as objectives to analyze the relation between indebtedness and symptoms of anxiety, depression and feeling quality of life and health. In addition, we sought to establish a theoretical empirical model that considers the relationship between indebtedness and anxiety and depression symptoms and sensations regarding the domains of quality of life and health, as well as the behavioral characteristics regarding the level of financial education (the " financial behavior "of this concept), selfcontrol, temporal orientation - present and future, and materialism. Information about debt, anxiety symptoms, depression and quality of life were collected through the application of questionnaires via the Internet, between September and November 2015; and of the individuals who, besides composing such sample, also participated in Diniz's research (2015), were collected from their research, information regarding financial education, self-control, temporal orientation and materialism, to compose an empirical-theoretical model evaluated in the context of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). It was used as a filter, to define the individuals who participated in both surveys, the e-mails they informed. The bivariate results between indebtedness, anxiety, depression and quality of life, point to an association between indebtedness and anxiety problems, depression and a worse quality of life. In the peer relationship, the main results indicated that a severe anxiety and depression, is related to double the chances of the individual having high indebtedness. For the regression model, the variable Health Factor (HF) was created using the PCA method, using it as a dependent variable and the indebtedness and sociodemographic factors as independent variables, being the debt as the variable with the greatest impact on the health factor, among those statistically significant (indebtedness, female gender and> 4 dependent). By including the behavioral factors in the analyzes (financial education, self-control, temporal orientation and materialism), it was identified in the bivariate results that the greater the financial education, the self-control, the temporal orientation for the future and the shorter the temporal orientation for the present and the materialistic profile, the lower the indebtedness, the symptoms of anxiety and depression and the better the sensations of quality of life and health pointed out. On the empiricaltheoretical model, the variables financial education, self-control, temporal orientation, materialism, indebtedness, anxiety, depression, quality of life and health were used, as well as sociodemographic as control variables. Financial education was found, with direct and significant action to explain the propensity to indebtedness, and indirectly the performance of self-control and orientation for the future, and these variables presented a significant and direct relationship with financial education. Demonstrating that individuals who are more controlled and concerned about their future, seek financial education to base their behavior on money, avoiding risks and debts. The model also showed that materialism was not relevant to explain indebtedness, but a direct and significant one to explain symptoms of anxiety, depression and quality of life sensations. A more materialistic profile increases the individual's propensity to present worse symptoms of anxiety, depression and worse sensations about the domains of quality of life. In the same way the variables indebtedness, acting in a direct way, and financial education, self-control and orientation towards the future acting indirectly. In addition, income (> 3 minimum wages) and the number of dependents (> 1 dependent) were also significant to explain higher indebtedness. Thus, when considering the same model of behavioral aspects, indebtedness and health problems and quality of life in the same model, we highlight the scope of the theme "indebtedness", especially those related to the problems caused to the individual, not only financial ones, and the characteristics which can be worked on and improved to prevent the individual from becoming indebted. By adding the inherent characteristics to the individual's behavior, the relationship between these variables is better understood, considering the behavioral motivations and health impacts related to indebtedness, a situation not previously addressed in the literature, where it was only found studies that consider either the characteristics of the borrower or the consequences of the debt.